


Way of the Cherry Blossom

by chadsuke



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Haruno Sakura, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-18
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2018-09-18 10:43:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 5,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9381071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chadsuke/pseuds/chadsuke
Summary: Healing isn't a bad profession, Sakura knows. She could do well in it. But healing means that you're the one picking up the pieces, putting your teammates back together.Sakura wants to stop them from getting hurt at all.----Canon Divergent Naruto - Sakura's skills take a different path after the events of Wave. A story told in snippets. Not always in chronological order.





	1. Chapter 1

"Kakashi-sensei?" Her hands folded in front of her carefully as Sakura stepped forward, a bit timid.

Her teacher looked up from where he was reading his usual book, perched on a stump, and smiled his crinkle-eyed smile at her. "Yes, Sakura~?"

The genin ignored the annoyed grumble in the back of her head from the way he said her name, and pressed on. "Sensei, I was wondering… could you teach me that genjutsu you used on me in the Bell Test?" She could still remember that horrifying moment and it sometimes cropped up in her dreams, _especially_ after what happened a few days ago. His rattling, wheezing breath… The coppery tang of blood in the air…

Perhaps something showed on her face, for Sensei sobered and tucked away his book, serious. "Are you sure?"

It wasn't a hard decision to make and it was one she had made already. Yesterday, they had been taught water walking – she had managed it almost as easily as the tree, but after holding it for too long and yelling encouragements at the boys, the chakra under her feet had collapsed. Sakura could swim, she had been fine, but… after the boys fussed over her, Sensei drew her aside to tell her that while she had very good chakra control, she had to be _very_ careful how much she used, as it would be very easy for her to succumb to chakra exhaustion.

There were two types of jutsus that precise chakra control was good for – genjutsu and medical ninjutsu. She had briefly considered the latter, but that would only leave her dealing with the aftereffects of battles, and she was pretty sure Sensei didn't know any of that. He did know at _least_ one genjutsu, though, and given her useless performance here in Wave this past week or so…

"Yes." Sakura was extremely certain, and she gave a short nod to go with it. "I don't want to be weak, Sensei, not after…"

_Sasuke died._

Her sentence remained unfinished – she didn't _need_ to finish it. Seeing Sasuke and thinking he was- Well, the genin wasn't able to handle that. Not- not easily. If he had _truly_ been… It would be all on her head. Kakashi-sensei had fought and Naruto-baka had almost killed the fake hunter-nin but Sakura-

She was startled out of her increasingly morose thoughts by Sensei reaching out to ruffle her long pink hair, giving her a crinkly-eyed smile once more. "Of course, Sakura. It's a D-Rank, so you should be able to pick it up easily~." He beckoned her closer, and the genin stepped in, watching his hands intently as he carefully went through the two handseals required. "It's just Snake and Rat, but then there's the visualization process that goes with genjutsu…"

Sakura was very gratified to learn that Kakashi-sensei could be a good teacher when he wanted to be.


	2. Chapter 2

It was embarrassing, but he was the only person that would answer honestly. At least, the only one _here_ who would answer honestly.

"Sasuke?" Hating the way her voice wavered, Sakura's hands twisted together as he didn't even give her a glance, instead concentrating on the water he was meant to be walking on. He probably shouldn't be out here, should probably be healing and _not_ getting his bandages soaked, but good luck telling him that. Either way, she plowed onwards, forging ahead. "I, er- I wanted to ask… do I look alright? For a shinobi? Or should I change something…"

This seemed to catch both his _and_ Naruto's attention, and the moron spoke up and threw himself into the conversation. "You look beautiful, Sakura! You don't need to change!"

A tick formed at Sakura's temple, and she snapped at him. "Idiot! Looking good isn't going to help me if what I look like's _impractical!_ " Not that… she had ever worried about it until now, but that was the principle of things, wasn't it? She had learned from this thing.

They all did.

Perhaps that was why Sasuke was willing to indulge her even as Naruto flailed at her vehemence and fell back into the water. He surveyed her from head to toe, eyes _intense,_ and Sakura blushed despite herself. Who wouldn't? It was… well, him.

"…Your hair."

The pink-haired girl blinked, caught off-guard – a bit too busy being distracted over Sasuke  _staring_ at her, managing to block out even Naruto's curses. "My… hair?" She lifted a hand to touch it, worried he was going to ask her to cut it for a moment.

"Long hair is a handhold. You only wear it long if you can back it up, power-wise." Left unsaid was the fact that Sakura _couldn't_ back it up – not even close, and she flushed further, quite self-conscious. If that were true, that would be the same for ponytails… what did that say about Ino-pig, she wondered?

At least that explained why Hinata had shorter hair compared to the rest of the Hyuugas.

"Thanks, Sasuke." Even if she wasn't sure what to do with that yet – cut it? Not unless she had to! – it was still good information, and his eyes lingered for a moment… before he gave her a nod and returned to his concentrating.

Sakura, personally, walked away, ignoring the way that Naruto tackled the other boy behind her and the ensuing water fight. She had a woman to talk to about hair.


	3. Chapter 3

"Sakura." Naruto's voice made the weary girl lift her eyes from the sleeping Sasuke, focusing on her other teammate. He was kneeling beside Sasuke as well – eyes hidden from her by his hair, focusing intensely on the Uchiha.

He had… died, today, almost died, and they couldn't bear to sleep. Kakashi-sensei had promised them he would be alright, but… For once, Naruto and Sakura found themselves united in perfect concert, and it was a peace that kept them both strong.

"What is it, Naruto?" She spoke up. There was no derision in her voice, not like usual. It didn't feel right, especially when _Naruto_ of all people was serious. It worried her.

Naruto stopped, swallowed harshly, and turned his head up to meet her eyes – he was _crying,_ Sakura realized with horror. Naruto was _crying._ "When he- When he thought he was dying, the bastard, he…" Another swallow, and he managed to spit it out. "He said something about killing his _brother._ What did he _mean,_ Sakura? Do you know?"

He looked at her as though she held all the answers in the world, and Sakura was dismayed to realize that she _did_ in this case.

She had made such a careless remark when they found out their teams – she had wanted Sasuke to _like_ her, to think about her and not Naruto, and so she… said such a horrid thing. And Sasuke had reacted badly, too, but… worse than she thought. Asking her parents had yielded interesting results. They had always been so overprotective, so unwilling to let the harsher side of things taint her, that they had just completely covered up what truly happened with the Uchihas.

When she had been younger, when it actually happened, she didn't know enough nor pay enough attention to even realize what had happened, and her parents did their best to shield her from it. But she was a kunoichi, now – and they told her. It was frightening to realize what she didn't know; how much more was there to learn?

Apparently, no one told Naruto the exact details.

It was Sakura's turn to swallow harshly. "You… you know how Sasuke's family is dead?" He nodded slowly. "Sasuke… his _brother_ killed them all. The whole clan." Her voice was horrified, even though she already knew this information – mirrored by the horror creeping over Naruto's face.

"His… his _brother?"_ The tears were drying, replaced by sheer anger, and Sakura nodded. Naruto clenched his fists, gritting his teeth harshly. "No wonder the bastard's-" He shook his head roughly. "How _could_ he?"

Sakura stared out at this boy – this boy that she had put down for so much of her life, but had always bounced back – and was ashamed to realize that she was crying. Hesitantly, carefully, she reached out to put her hand on one of Naruto's fists. "We need to help him, Naruto. We need to help Sasuke, don't we?""

He stopped, staring at her like she was the sun itself. Heat rose up in her face, the first time Naruto had made her blush in _years,_ but she met his eyes with determination.

Then, his face broke into a smile and _he_ was the sun, even as he teared up once more. His fist unclenched and took her hand in his. "Yeah. We do."

They stayed like that until dawn came, watching over their sleeping teammate.


	4. Chapter 4

"So, Sakura, why did you decide to be a shinobi?" Tsunami asked, her hands deftly braiding the younger girl's hair. Tsunami was the only one around that Sakura felt would really know hair – while she still wanted to figure it out better, this would do for now. All of her hair braided in the back was still a handhold, sure, but it was shorter than her current hair, and she didn't plan on keeping it that way.

Just until she got back home and could talk to Mom.

As it was, the girl sitting on the chair blinked, surprised. "Why I became a shinobi? Well, my parents are both shinobi." Both Mom and Dad – it was simple enough. Most of the time, children of shinobi _became_ shinobi, even if their parents never really got anywhere. It was what was done.

Tsunami, however, didn't seem to understand that, and smiled down at her. "Is that the only reason, then? Did you have to be?" Her question was tinged with a bit of concern, but Sakura… was more contemplative.

No, she didn't have to be. If she had truly not wanted to become a kunoichi, her parents would've let her do whatever her heart desired. Becoming a teacher, a writer, a hairdresser… they would've just been happy for their little girl. She knew she was loved – her parents had always wanted a big family, but there were complications in her Mom's pregnancy with Sakura, so she was the only child, the cherished child – and she knew they would support her.

So, no, it hadn't been expected of her.

Sakura's immediate answer was because of Sasuke – but that wasn't true, either. Sasuke came after she began attending the Academy, after Ino-pig happened. What happened first, then?

"Sakura?" Tsunami's concerned question broke Sakura out of her remembering, and the girl had to forcibly stop herself from shaking her head and yanking on the braid.

"Sorry, Miss Tsunami, I was trying to remember." And remember she did, biting her lip. "I… When I was very little, I met the Hokage. My Mom had been on a mission, and my Dad was taking us up to go see her. The mission wasn't confidential, so we were let into the debriefing." She had never told anyone this – not because it was a secret, but because no one asked, and she didn't think about it much.

"The Hokage likes kids, I think. He took me in my arms and he talked to me, like I was a real person and not just a little kid. He… told me I was the most important person in the village." Sakura let out a small, slightly breathless laugh. "I was so confused! I was just Sakura, you know?" Especially back then, when she could barely talk to anyone. "He thanked me for letting my Mom help protect the village, protect important people like me and my Dad. Then, he handed me back and we left."

It was a longer story than Tsunam had maybe anticipated, but she was good-natured and kind. She tied up the end of Sakura's braid, and gave her a pat on the head. "And that's why you decided to be a shinobi?"

Sakura nodded, reaching up to feel her new hairstyle, a better hairstyle for a shinobi. "I wanted to help him, too."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow, it's been over a year since i last updated this

Naruto cries, when they leave Wave. He really is a big baby, and she and Sasuke automatically exchange exasperated looks before Sakura glances away.

She… likes Sasuke. Still very much. But-

Whenever she looks at him, now, all she can think of is his lifeless body, how _cold_ and _unmoving_ he was in her arms, just- It’s too much.

So she turns to Naruto, hoping to distract him. “Hey, Naruto,” she says, and the blonde perks up. “Can I test a jutsu on you?”

He eyes her, clearly wanting to agree but also a little wary. “What kind of jutsu?”

“A genjutsu.” Sakura smiles winningly, batting her eyes. “Kakashi-sensei taught me in, and I want to practice! I figured you’d be perfect!”

Naruto definitely beams back. “I’m definitely better than Sasuke!” Okay, no, but she really doesn’t want to try this genjutsu on Sasuke.

“Thanks! I just want you to try to break it, alright?” He nods eagerly, but before she can make the first seal, Kakashi-sensei is _right there._

“Maa, my favorite little kunoichi should explain to her teammate what _kind_ of genjutsu it is, first.” He eye-smiles, and it’s very clear this isn’t an optional request. (Also, sensei, she’s the only ‘little kunoichi’ you know.)

“It’s, um… It’ll show your worst fear,” she says.

Kakashi-sensei pats her head. “Good choice in partners,” he says. “Naruto needs to learn how to break genjutsu.”

Naruto scowls. “I can do it!” He turns to Sakura, bright-eyed and grinning. “Come on, come on, I’ll break your genjutsu, Sakura!”

She grins back. “I don’t know about that!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy femslash february!!
> 
> yes, femslash - that's exactly why i'm (finally) updating this fic. the eventual pairing is going to be femslash, because I am incapable of writing Naruto in a way that doesn't ft. lesbians. while it has clearly updated, this fic is still not very high-priority for me, but i'll probably update it at least one more time this month.
> 
> if any of my fics are truly dead, i'll either write that in the summary or i'll orphan the fic. :P so no worries there. (also, i'm going to go through and change previous chapters to present tense, bc it was too painful for me to try to write past tense here)


	6. Chapter 6

No matter how many times he tries, Naruto can’t throw it off. Sakura finds it amusing at first, and exasperating after awhile. Pain works, of course, but that’s not a good solution. “Why can’t you stop your chakra flow?” Sasuke asks, just as exasperated. “It’s not _hard._ ”

“Maa, Naruto has a lot _more_ chakra than either of you,” Kakashi-sensei explains, giving them a small, sheepish smile, “It’s harder when you’ve got more.”

That isn’t particularly surprising to Sakura – she knows she doesn’t have very much. Sasuke, however, scowls.

“Kakashi-sensei, why didn’t you tell me?!” Naruto protests, and immediately gets in the man’s face, yelling at him.

“Oh, look, the gates!” Their teacher announces in an obvious moment of deflection, and he disappears in a quick whirl of smoke, with Naruto racing right after him and still yelling at the top of his lungs.

“Annoying,” Sasuke says, and it’s so similar to the way she’s heard Shikamaru say ‘troublesome’ that Sakura is hard-pressed to not laugh. She still doesn’t look at him, though.

“If Naruto can’t stop his chakra,” she says slowly, instead. “Either we have to take care of that for him, or we need to find another way.”

In unison, they both make a face. “Find another way, Sakura,” Sasuke says, and she finally – finally – turns to meet his eyes. He’s here. Whole. Awake. “I don’t want to have to look out for that idiot.”

 _You already did,_ she wants to say, but she firmly, firmly squashes that down. _Would you do the same for me?_ She squashes that thought down even more. “Of course,” Sakura says instead. “I’ll figure it out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy femslash february! a day late.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please note: i uploaded two chapters today. if you haven't already, go back and read chapter 6. happy femslash february!

“Hello?” Sakura calls, kicking off her shoes at the door. “Anyone home?” She knows someone is, of course, there were lights on, but she doesn’t know who.

“I’m in the kitchen!” her dad calls.

He’s standing at the stove, wearing a bright pink apron that matches his hair and stirring something on the stove. She grins, stalking up behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist from behind. “I’m home!” Sakura announces.

Kizashi Haruno sets down his spoon to pick her up, spinning her around and both of them giggling like she’s five again. “So!” he asks, setting her down and beaming at her. “How was your first C-Rank?”

“Actually…” Sakura grimaces. “I’m pretty sure it’s considered an A-Rank now…?”

His expression goes flat. “What.”

Over a piping hot bowl of kabocha pumpkin soup, her father’s favorite, Sakura explains. She’s not sure what’s classified – if… anything’s classified, honestly? – but it’s her _daddy_ , so she tells him _everything._

He’s… less than pleased with the whole thing. “It sounds like you were in a lot of danger,” he says.

“I’m a _ninja_ ,” Sakura insists, very firm. “I’m always going to be in danger.”

Oh. _Oh._

In the Academy, the fact that being a ninja was so dangerous never really sunk in. Maybe with someone like Sasuke, who saw the dangers firsthand, but not for everyone else. Being a ninja was cool. What everyone wanted to do – it’s probably why so few of them advanced on. This mission wasn’t a fluke. Her next mission would be dangerous, too.

She takes a deep breath, and nods. “I’m always going to be in danger, daddy. So…” Sakura tries for her most winning smile. “Do you know any good jutsu to teach me?”

He laughs, reaching over to ruffle her hair. “Maybe,” he concedes. “But eat, first.”

Sakura does. It tastes like home.


	8. Chapter 8

They get the next few days off to recuperate, and Sakura takes full advantage of every single moment. Her father is home, without any current obligations aside from taking care of her (which is a little… strange, when she thinks about it, but he shrugs it off), so she picks his brain for every single jutsu he can think of that she can learn.

On the first day, they run through every single chakra control exercise he knows. “But Dad,” she protests, confused. “Kakashi-sensei says I have really good chakra control. Why do I need to practice?”

He ruffles her hair. “You don’t, baby girl. But if you keep working your chakra, stretching it to its absolute limit, you’ll be able to get more.”

She’s a little skeptical. “Really?”

Kizashi nods. “There’s always a limit, of course, but chakra is just like any other muscle. You can only get so muscular, and you can only get so much chakra, but you can get more.”

Well… that makes sense. “Alright.”

It’s a good thing her dad is with her, because he stops her from completely exhausting herself. Chakra exhaustion occurs when you don’t have enough chakra to keep your bodily functions, well, functioning – it always takes longer to recover after that than simple chakra depletion.

So the first day, she completely drains herself of every bit of chakra she can spare, and then her father (gently) beats her into the ground with taijutsu.

It’s exhausting. She’s exhausted.

Kizashi laughs, and makes her favorite dumplings for dinner. “You’ve improved a lot since you’ve graduated,” he says, and Sakura gives him a tired smile.

Rinse and repeat for the next two days. She’s almost ready for Kakashi’s tender mercies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops belated oh well


	9. Chapter 9

Kakashi-sensei doesn’t work them hard. He never does, really. They work on team formations, and teamwork, and all those things that her sensei thinks are important, but-

What about individual improvement?

All the cat retrieval missions in the world won’t help Sakura get better at fighting, and her father’s leaving tomorrow, so she can’t just have him train her. She wonders what Naruto does, and briefly considers asking him, but she doesn’t really want to encourage him in the whole… ahem, ‘dating her’ thing.

(Naruto, she’s never, ever, EVER dating you. That’s a promise.)

Sakura considers asking Ino. She does. She really, really does. After all, Naruto and Sasuke are rivals and they train together, but… it’s team training. They’re on the same team. It’s different.

She’s not going to surrender her pride and talk to Ino.

Instead, she’ll go to the other genin girl.

“Hinata!” Sakura calls, spotting her in the street and running up behind her. The Hyuuga looks startled to see her. To be fair, it’s not like they’ve ever talked.

“S… Sakura,” she stammers, wide-eyed. “Hello.”

Sakura gives her a smile, dropping into step next to her. “Hey, Hinata. How have you and your team been doing?”

She relaxes, just a little. “Pretty… pretty good. Shino and Kiba are nice. What… what about you? I heard… you had some, um, hard times.”

The Haruno snorts. “You haven’t heard the half of it. Have you had dinner yet?”

“Um… no, not yet.”

“Great! My treat – I’ll tell you all about the mission.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have a handful of these drabbles that i've finished but haven't posted yet rip


	10. Chapter 10

Hinata, unfortunately, turns down sparring. She doesn’t like hurting people – which is, like, fair, Sakura _guesses,_ but they’re also ninja and ninja are definitely supposed to hurt people. It’s kind of a conundrum.

That was sort of Hinata wrapped up in a pretty little present, though.

Asking Kiba or Shino to spar seems kinda… weird. She’s never been close to either of them, and while she wasn’t close to Hinata, either, there was just something about _kunoichi._ You know? You stick together!

So, she goes to her ‘second-to-last resort’ option (the last resort option being, of course, sparring with Naruto). “Kakashi-sensei?” she asks him, trailing behind him after one ‘two D-Ranks and then Ichiraku’ days. “I need to ask you for a favor.”

He looks at her kind of warily, she thinks. Sakura tries giving him her biggest, most pleading and pretty eyes, even pulls out a little pout, and his wariness turns to downright _alarm._ “What kind of favor?” he asks.

“I need to get better at taijutsu! And… genjutsu, and… everything, really.” It sounds kind of pathetic when she says it like that, but. “My dad gave me some jutsu to work on for now, while he’s gone, but I need to get better at taijutsu! Can you train me, pretty please?”

Kakashi really, really doesn’t like training them – that’s why this is the second-to-last resort. What she doesn’t expect is for him to relax and give her a smile. “Maa, taijutsu? Well, what if you got to train with the resident taijutsu master, here in Konoha?”

Sakura perks up. Kakashi-sensei foisting her off on someone else is okay, as long as she learns, but the resident taijutsu master? “Yes! That sounds great, thank you so much, Kakashi-sensei!”

\---

When she drags herself into training the next day, every muscle melting, she levels him with a deadly glare. “I hate you so much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> poor, poor sakura.


	11. Chapter 11

It hurts her – a lot – but she does stick with Gai and Lee and crazy running in the morning. Not _every_ single morning, more like every other or every three depending on how up to it she feels, and it doesn’t really seem to help Lee’s crush on her much, but it’s exhilarating. She feels a difference in her stamina, that’s for sure.

By the time Mom swings back home from her station at one of Konoha’s outposts, Sakura’s gotten a handle on most of the jutsu Dad lent her. Which is _perfect_ , because Mom is a genjutsu _pro._

When Sakura babbles out her latest desire to become a genjutsu master, Mebuki Haruno laughs, hugging her daughter so tight she feels like her ribs crack. “It runs in the family,” she tells her, smoothing back her pink hair. “You’ll be fantastic at genjutsu.”

The praise makes the girl grin. “Really? You think so, Mama?”

She nods, tweaking her nose, even as Sakura wrinkles it. Harunos are very touchy beasts. “You might need it soon, too.”

Sakura frowns at that. “Why? Do you know something I don’t?”

Mebuki’s eyes twinkle. “Maybe! We’ll have to see what your sensei says.”

All the pouting in the world won’t make her share.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i really need to update this fic more. oop.


	12. Chapter 12

Naruto’s the first one who notices – or maybe the first one who says something. She’s not sure. “Hey, hey, Sakura! You’ve got muscles, now!”

Sakura stares at him with dull surprise. She had practiced with the Youth Duo this morning, and the bridge railing is the only thing keeping her upright. Slowly, she peels her gaze away from Naruto to look down at herself.

Actually, it’s probably the fact that she’s shifted to her summer, sleeveless dress (it’s getting warmer!) that makes him notice. She _does_ have muscles. They’re not like… bulging, or ugly, or anything like that, but her arms are firmed and toned, and so are her legs. She looks solid. Well-built.

A true shinobi.

Naruto gets up close, in her face, beaming at her. “Have you been training a lot? Is that why you’re so tired?”

She considers for a moment. Weighs the pros and cons. “Yeah,” she says, after a moment. It’s really only luck and the fact that her teammates don’t… don’t really _care_ that they’ve never noticed before today. “Kakashi-sensei introduced me to Konoha’s taijutsu master, and I’ve been training with him and one of his students in the mornings.”

Naruto’s eyes _light up._ Even _Sasuke_ is paying attention, in his brooding sort of way, and that fact makes Sakura straighten up a little more, forcing herself upright even though her muscles scream at her. “Can I come too!?”

Yeah, that’s about what she figured would happen, and she aims for a careless shrug. “Sure. We meet at six am in training ground 9.”

He deflates a little at that. “That’s… early…”

Sasuke snorts. “Pathetic.”

“Oy! I didn’t say I wasn’t gonna go!”

Sakura lets herself sink back against the railing as their familiar bickering washes over her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have 1 or 2 chapters left that I wrote awhile back and never uploaded, and then I'm caught up on this. So you'll probably see another chapter tomorrow, haha.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i uploaded another chapter today, so make sure you're reading the right one!

Both of them show up the next morning, and Sakura’s not even remotely surprised. In fact, she specifically came this morning because she thought they would. Normally, she’d rest the day after training with the Youth Duo, but…

Okay, she kinda wants to see them suffer.

Suffer they do. In fact, it’s…

Sakura is _used_ to this. They’re _not._ Sure, at first, they race ahead, keeping pace with Lee and Gai, but they flag, slowly but surely. Sakura keeps a steady pace. Eventually, they fall even behind her- Eventually, they have to _stop running._

Sakura doesn’t stop, and slow and steady wins the race.

“Yosh!” Lee greets her as she finishes her second lap of Konoha, coming to a panting halt in the training ground. “That Was Very Youthful, Sakura! Are You Ready For A Most Glorious Spar?”

She gives him a tired grin. “How about my teammates, Lee? They couldn’t even finish the run. I think they need a workout.”

Lee squints at them. “Sakura… You Like This Sasuke, Right?” Sakura flushes, but nods. “And Your Other Teammate, Naruto, He Likes You, Does He Not?” She mayyyy or may not have mentioned that annoying habit, and miserably, Sakura nods.

“Yosh!” He yells loudly again, pumping his fist. “I Will Battle Them For Your Hand! Not To Worry, Sakura!”

He beats them both handily, and Sakura laughs and laughs and laughs until Gai-sensei finishes his (extra) laps of Konoha, and takes her on. Then all she feels is pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm just posting them all at once. lmao.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i uploaded a few chapters at once, so make sure you're reading the right one!

Kakashi-sensei enters them in the Chunin Exams. Naruto yells in delight and tackles their teacher. Sasuke smirks, clearly pleased. Sakura… looks down at her paper and thinks. “Kakashi-sensei,” she asks, because she does always ask, “Do you know if Team 10 is entering? Or Gai-sensei’s team?”

He considers the question, though she’s pretty sure he doesn’t _actually_ have to think about it, and nods. “Yes. Gai and Asuma entered their teams as well, as did Kurenai.”

Well, she’s happy for Hinata and Kiba and Shino, but she doesn’t really care about Team 8. She does very much care about Team 10, though, and she grins fiercely. “I can’t _wait_ to show Ino-pig how good I’ve gotten! She won’t know what’s hit her!”

Naruto nods eagerly beside her. “Yeah, yeah! I’ve gotta beat Lee!”

Her eyes sparkle back at him. “I think Lee wants to beat his ‘Eternal Rival’, first.” Kakashi twitches at those words, and Sakura’s grin grows.

The blonde pouts. “Why can’t I be Lee’s eternal rival?” he pouts, and all of team 7 stares at him like he’s grown another head. Sasuke looks away, and holy shit, Sakura thinks he’s _pouting._

_That’s so cute._

“Um, Naruto,” she says, trying to hide the bubbling laughter in her voice. “Isn’t Sasuke your eternal rival?” (Kakashi twitches again.)

Naruto blinks once, twice. “Oh. Yeah. I forgot, you know, since he’s not as good as _Lee._ ”

Sakura clambers onto the bridge railing to avoid the ensuing fight-and-then-spar, right next to a tired-looking Kakashi. “Do you think Naruto got dropped on his head as a baby?” she asks, thinking out loud.

Kakashi… looks guilty. Looks god damn _guilty_ for a second and _holy shit-_ “Maybe,” he says, and then the bastard is gone before she can ask him.

Oh my _god,_ she _hates her team so much._


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one more! make sure you're reading the right chapter since I updated quite a bit, thanks so much!

“So you’re Lee’s eternal rival, huh?” Sakura asks, quirking a brow as she steps up behind the other genin.

Lee whips around, as always, absolutely delighted to see her, while his teammates, Tenten and Neji turn achingly, _achingly_ slowly. They’re both astonished. “Holy shit, you’re _normal!”_ Tenten exclaims, and Sakura’s other eyebrow goes up.

Neji frowns slightly. “Pink hair, though.”

Helplessly, Sakura glances back at both Sasuke and Naruto, who stare at her with completely equal bewilderment, even as Lee lectures his teammates about how wonderful she is. “I think his whole team is as crazy as him,” Naruto whispers, but it’s loud enough that _literally everyone can hear_. From the impatient look on Sasuke’s face, he actually agrees with the idiot.

(So does Sakura, even if she doesn’t want to admit it.)

Quietly, Team 7 tries to slip away from the bizarre entity that is Team Gai (though, hello, pot meet kettle), but Lee reaches out and snags Sakura’s wrist before they can truly depart. “Wait!” And, because Sakura actually likes him (IN A WEIRD FRIEND SORT OF WAY, NOT LIKE THAT, _EW_ ), she does. “Sakura. Beautiful Flower Of Konoha.”

He gets down on one knee, and Tenten looks like she’s going to keel over from suppressed laughter. Sakura hates her already. “If I Make Chunin, Sakura, Will You Grant Me The Honor Of Going On A Date With Me?”

Naruto makes a noise behind her, muffled, but Sakura is too horrified to look and see what’s going on. In fact, she’s kind of panicking, because literally all of the other genin are staring at them and oh no, Ino’s never gonna let her live this down, and-

“Kakashi-sensei says I can’t date until I’m a jounin!” she panics and lies, and Lee takes that with full, absolute seriousness. (She thinks Neji is also muffling laughter, but it mostly looks like he’s constipated.)

“Yosh!” he says, standing up _oh thank god_. “I Understand! Together, We Will Strive Towards The Future! We Can Train Together As Much As You Want, Sakura!”

“Right,” she says weakly. “Thanks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was the absolute very last one i had buried in my computer - any others from here on out i'll have to newly write. but hopefully, i'll update this pretty frequently, because I kind of want to start really burning through my other WIP fics.


	16. Chapter 16

Naruto snickers all the way down the hall to the exam room, until Sakura punches him in the stomach to shut him up. Kakashi-sensei appears right at that moment, poofing into existence, and he looks summarily disappointed in her. “Maa, maa, Sakura, you shouldn’t be violent with your teammates,” he says, and Sakura just levels him with a _look._

“Lee asked Sakura out!” Naruto laughs, and if looks could kill, Sakura would’ve murdered Naruto on the _spot._

Sakura has no idea whether or not Kakashi-sensei has just plain not paid any attention to team dynamics, or if it’s because he doesn’t _know_ Lee, but he looks _alarmed._ Panicked, even, and he puts a hand on her shoulder. “Sakura,” he says seriously, “You’re not allowed to date until you’re a jounin.”

Naruto just about collapses on the floor with laughter and even _Sasuke’s_ mouth twitches upwards. “Shut. _Up._ ” Sakura is about ready to kill her entire team – well, not Sasuke, but maybe she’ll give him a whack – but Kakashi-sensei keeps going.

“That goes for you two, too,” he says, and haha, Sakura _gloats._ Naruto immediately stops laughing. “Sasuke, Naruto, you’re not allowed to date until you’re jounin either.”

Sasuke’s face turns impassive, but the way he looks irritatedly away sends hope rising in Sakura’s heart. Naruto leaps to his feet. “Hey, hey, sensei, you can’t do that!”

Kakashi-sensei smiles, and the team feels their doom crawl over them. “Maa, I think I can.”

He’s gone, just like that, and Naruto curses him out for a moment before he turns to Sakura, aggressively gesturing with his fists. “Oy, Sakura, we’ve gotta make jounin _fast!”_

Sakura thinks about Sasuke, standing right next to her, and nods, striking an identical pose. “Right! Jounin time, for our dating lives!”

Sasuke groans, but she pretends not to hear him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact i totally wrote this ages ago and then forgot it was done alskdfjdlask i thought it was still wip. and then i went to open it to finish it today and a finished chapter was staring back at me.
> 
> SORRY


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